If the Russian population knew what is happening, they would not be backing this awful conflict. However, this support rests on false information.
Up to now, polls coming from Russia show significant support to the war, or rather the “special military operation” as baptised by the Russian leadership. There are three factors to consider: the war’s impact on the Russian population, the fate of the war, and pressure from the international community. The question is when the Russian President will accept that persevering in the military path he has chosen will bring more harm than good to his country, or to his own political role. But if the war started with a personal decision, it could also end the same way. Based on his own interpretation of history, it is not adapted to realities of the 21 st century. It is the decision of one man, President Putin. The present conflict is not the outcome of centuries old hatreds: it is a war of choice. Such “neutrality” may respond, of course, to a variety of reasons, from hidden alignment to fear of reprisals, but it becomes in practice support to Russia and its war of aggression. Putting them on the same footing fails to differentiate between the attacker and the attacked. “Defending Ukraine from Russia’s invasion is rejecting the law of the jungle, the notion that ‘might makes right’”ĭefending Ukraine from Russia’s invasion is rejecting the law of the jungle, the notion that “might makes right”. The core principles of our international order, which UN Secretary General António Guterres will certainly underline when visiting Russia and Ukraine this week. Most states, from all regions of the world, know that what is at stake, fundamentally, is the protection of weaker states from more powerful ones that could prey on them. Reassuring allies closest to the conflict with preventative deployments, the prudent - and yet firm - reaction of NATO conveys a clear message: the Alliance will not flinch in defending itself, yet it harbours no offensive intentions vis-à-vis Russia.įinally, the international community has - notably on three occasions so far through the UN General Assembly - sent clear messages rejecting an invasion that contradicts the core principles of international coexistence as reflected in the UN Charter itself: the equal sovereignty of states, the peaceful solution of conflicts and the ban on the use of force in international relations. We provided abundant warnings of what our response would be, to discourage the Russian invasion and replied substantially to Russian security demands, hoping a true negotiation would ensue. The response was coordinated from day one, and even earlier, as intelligence was shared in unprecedented ways, to ensure awareness and preparedness. The EU, together with the US, the UK, Canada, Japan and other like-minded partners and allies, have championed the international defence of Ukraine. “The EU has strengthened itself as an international player and one can even speak of the birth of the geopolitical Union. The EU has strengthened itself as an international player and one can even speak of the birth of the geopolitical Union. We are increasing our resilience and shedding dependencies on energy at a much faster pace than anyone could have envisioned before. EU countries have welcomed close to five million refugees so far and will keep their borders open to all those fleeing the conflict.
The Union is making extensive financial and humanitarian support available to Ukraine and contributing to the financing of military equipment provided by member states. It adopted the most severe sanctions ever and keeps widening their scope and reach, as the war continues. The European Union reacted swiftly and robustly in support of the Ukrainian government. This was the sentiment I strongly felt when meeting President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian leadership in Kyiv.
Contrary to what President Putin might have expected, this war will be a landmark in the consolidation of Ukraine as a sovereign nation and in the reaffirmation of its identity, separated from that of Russia. Instead, the Ukrainian government has rallied the whole nation in a fight against the invasion and has organised a fierce resistance, putting Russian troops in considerable difficulties and pushing back their offensive. Since the beginning of this war on 24 February, four Russian assumptions have proved clearly wrong: that the Ukrainian government would crumble and Russian forces would take Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities swiftly that the European Union would be at pains to show resolve and respond to this aggression that the “Western world” would be divided and uncertain in its reaction and that the broader international community would not condemn Russia’s invasion.Ī landmark in the consolidation of Ukraine as a sovereign nation
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